PADUCAH — The awards ceremony for the 39th AQS Paducah Quilt Contest on Tuesday showcased the best in the craft from across the country and globe.
As part of the local AQS QuiltWeek, more than 500 quilts were entered in the competition for 16 categories ranging from miniature quilts to group-made quilts. Hundreds of contestants at Walker Hall rejoiced in the superlative work of their peers.
Michelle Renee Hiatt, the executive director of AQS, said to simply be featured in the competition is a prestigious honor and lifelong aspiration in the quilting sphere.
“It really is a community. We’re all brought together by our love for fabric, stitching and making art,” Hiatt said. “It’s a really special place. Quilting is really a part of our lives, so it’s woven into us.”
She said more than 390 semifinalists were juried to vie in Paducah for top spots, with the judging occurring the previous Friday and Saturday.
“They are just beautiful works. No one knows ahead of time, so they’re just as surprised as everyone else,” Hiatt said. “They’re scrutinized tremendously. They’re laid flat and hung for judging, so it’s quite a bit of rigor.”
Hiatt said four special awards are considered the pinnacle of quilting achievement — Best of Show, Best Hand Workmanship, Best Stationary Machine Workmanship and best Movable Machine Workmanship.
These four winners received purchase awards to be displayed at the National Quilt Museum, meaning they accept a monetary sum for AQS to donate their quilts to the institution. Best of Show garnered $20,000, while the others won $12,000 each.
The remaining winners earned a highly coveted AQS ribbon and various cash prizes.
“At Paducah QuiltWeek, we give away $127,700 that’s awarded to 90 different quilters,” Hiatt said. “We go from honorable mention all the way to first place.”
The winner of the Best of Show Award was “A February’s Dream of Spring” by Laurie Tigner from Rapid City, South Dakota. Barbara Korengold from Chevy Chase, Maryland, won the Best Hand Workmanship Award for “Third Spool’s the Charm.”
Janet Stone from Overland Park, Kansas, received the Best Stationary Machine Workmanship Award for “Filigree Calligraphy.” The winner of the Best Movable Machine Workmanship Award was “Supraspinatus’s Swan Song” by Margaret E. Solomon Gunn from Gorham, Maine.
Hiatt said the contestant pool was eclectic, and included longstanding quilters and newcomers.
Other notable AQS Paducah Quilt Contest winners
Best Wall Quilt Award: “The One that Got Away,” Kestrel Michaud, Melbourne, FL
Best Wall Quilt Award: “The One that Got Away,” Kestrel Michaud, Melbourne, FL
Other notable AQS Paducah Quilt Contest winners were the following:
• Best Wall Quilt Award: “The One that Got Away,” Kestrel Michaud, Melbourne, FL
• Best Wall Hand Workmanship Award: “Heartwarming Days,” Aki Sakai, Tokyo, Japan
• Best Wall Stationary Machine Workmanship Award: “Dogwood: The Promise,” Andrea Brokenshire, Round Rock, TX
• Best Wall Movable Machine Workmanship Award: “Gracious Blues,” Claire Wallace, Gauteng, South Africa
• Best Miniature Quilt Award: “Scandinavian Summer,” Barbara Kilbourn, Ann Arbor, MI
• Award of Merit in Hand Quilting: “Flower Calendar,” Sachiko Chiba, Iwate, Japan
“Some of them have been competing for years, and they have moved up in the industry,” Hiatt said. “There are new quilters who are first-time submitting, and then we have people who have been submitting for years.”
Award ceremony emcee Alex Anderson, a prominent figure in the quilting industry with 45 years of experience, said the QuiltWeek is a major hub for the community’s consummate talents.
“This is the cream of the crop from all over the world,” Anderson said. “We have quilts from the United States, Canada, Korea and Japan. If you want to see the best of the best, this is where you come.”
Combing intricate craft with unique perspectives, Anderson said quilting serves as a rewarding creative outlet. No matter who prevails in the contest, she said all quilters attain the ultimate accolade of an enduring means of personal expression.
“It’s from our hearts. Not one quilt is better than the other, because it all starts from there,” Anderson said. “Quilts are amazing things for what they do for our souls inside and out.”
The remaining list of winners is as follows:
Large Quilts
• Stationary Machine Quilted: “Six Hours in Arles,” Ruth Ohol, Lockport, NY
• Movable Machine Quilted: “Royal Treasure,” Marilyn Badger, Saint George, UT
• 1st Entry in an AQS Paducah Quilt Contest: “Sunshine in the Pines,” Laurie S. Early, Rockingham, VA
Wall Quilts
• Stationary Machine Quilted: “Taiwan’s Patron Saint - Dragon,” Yu-Chen Liang, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
• Movable Machine Quilted: “Millefleur,” Jan Hutchison, Newton, KS
• Quilter’s Choice: “Flowers in Full Bloom to Kirara,” Ayako Kawakami, Chiba, Japan
• Modern Quilts: “Prickly Pear,” Susan Braverman, San Antonio, TX
Small Wall Quilts
• Hand Quilted: “Flowers For My Sister Susie,” Lahala J. Phelps, Washington, UT
• Stationary Machine Quilted: “Watermelon Sugar,” Amy Pabst, Le Roy, WV
• Movable Machine Quilted: “A Paradise of Birds,” Lorraine Stenoish, Green Bay, WI
• Quilter’s Choice: “Timeless Moment,” Mimi Ghauri-Young, Yountville, CA
• Fiber Art/Mixed Media: “Midnight Magic,” Joanne Baeth, Bonanza, OR
• 1st Entry in an AQS Paducah Quilt Contest: “A Few of My Favorite Things,” Judy Faulkner, Fort Worth, TX
Random Categories:
• Hand Quilted Quilts: “Be Fashionable on Rainy Days!,” Akiko Yoshimizu, Hyogo, Japan
• Group Quilts: “Soaring Dragon,” QianNaFang Studio, Shanghai, China
• Miniature Quilts: “Happy Valentine’s Day,” Aki Sakai, Tokyo, Japan
• APQS Judge’s Recognition Award – Doris Goins: “Higher Ground,” Katharine Fick, Almo, KY
• APQS Judge’s Recognition Award – Nancy Mahoney: “I Come To The Garden,” Diane Swartzendruber, Edmond, OK
• APQS Judge’s Recognition Award – Catherine Redford : “Next Verse Different Than the First,” Cassandra Ireland Beaver, Urbana, OH
Will Spencer is a reporter for the Mayfield Messenger.
